Campus 2, Apple Inc.'s proposed ring-shaped office facility in Cupertino, Calif., could cost $5 billion to build, according to a report by Bloomberg. Confidential souces told the publication that the budget has escalated since 2011, when a $3 billion price tag was predicted, and could reach more than $1,500/sf. The scale of the project has evolved over time; initally the building was only intended to accommodate 6,000 employees, vs. the current scope of 12,000 to 13,000.
Contributing to the high price is a design that calls for a façade incorporating 40-foot tall curved glass panes, imported from German firm Seele. The campus, created on land the company already owns, would be planted with 6,000 trees. In addition to the main building, the plan includes a corporate auditorium, fitness center, central plant, underground parking, and 300,000-sf research building.
The Building Team includes Foster + Partners as lead architect, and a joint venture of DPR Construction and Skanska USA Building as general contractor. A 2016 move-in date is projected, with demoliton of existing buildings on the site set to begin this summer.
Bloomberg quotes several shareholder sources who expressed trepidation about the cost of the project, in particular its innovative (and costly) use of curved glass. Apple execs say that Campus 2—part of the late Steve Jobs' dream for the company—will go forward. Apple will also continue to use its "Infinite Loop" headquarters, home to 2,800 employees.
The roof of the main building will hold 70,000 sf of solar panels, a key to the project's net-zero energy design. Other sustainable features will include high-efficiency fans, advanced daylighting, intensive plantings, and sustainable wood. Prefabricated, modular construction is anticipated as a key construction strategy.
(http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-04/apple-new-campus-cost-seen-jumping-to-5-billion-tech-correct-.html)
Related Stories
| Mar 28, 2012
40 Under 40, the Class of 2012
Chosen from 223 applicants, these 40 young AEC professionals represent the Class of 2012 in Building Design+Construction’s “40 UNDER 40” competition.
| Mar 28, 2012
Milestone reached for LEED-certified buildings?
Total number of major global green buildings now stands at 12,000.
| Mar 28, 2012
Holden Cancer Center opens at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
The new cancer clinic provides a significant increase in patient space from the prior facility, which was located in an adjacent building.
| Mar 28, 2012
Meridian Design Build Begins work on 38 acre redevelopment project
The project includes construction of a new 150,585-sf cross dock facility that will include full service truck maintenance and repair bays, a truck wash, and approximately 20,000-sf of corporate office space.
| Mar 28, 2012
Tsoi/Kobis & Associates developing master plan for UT Southwestern Medical Center
Firm will spearhead strategies for transforming existing in-patient hospital into state-of-the-art ambulatory care facility.
| Mar 28, 2012
Ideas and input drive stories in online community, noraXchange
Community designed to help building and design professionals address challenges they face in their jobs.
| Mar 27, 2012
Bank of America Plaza becomes Atlanta's priciest repo
Repo will help reset market prices for real estate, and the eventual new owner will likely set rental rates at a new or near the bottom and improve the facilities to lure tenants.
| Mar 27, 2012
Skanska hires aviation construction expert Bob Postma
Postma will manage Skanska’s nationwide in-house team of airport construction experts who lead the industry in building and renovating airport facilities and their essential features.
| Mar 27, 2012
Precast concrete used for affordable, sustainable housing in New York
Largest affordable housing development in the nation will provide housing for close to 500,000 people.
| Mar 27, 2012
Groundbreaking held for Valencia College West Campus Building 10 in Orlando
Project led by design-build team of SchenkelShultz Architecture and McCree General Contractors, both of Orlando.